


Cold Days -  Soda/Johnny

by eliniel



Series: Outsiders Requests [6]
Category: The Outsiders - All Media Types
Genre: Cold, Snow, Winter, blizzard, sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2020-05-15 00:38:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19284523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliniel/pseuds/eliniel
Summary: Request made on Tumblr.





	Cold Days -  Soda/Johnny

Sodapop Curtis looked out the large front room window as he burrowed down in his late father’s overstuffed armchair. Most of the gang was sitting in various positions around the room- reading, watching TV, playing cards- as a heavy snow started descending upon the town. He wasn’t aware of any blizzard warnings, but he had a bad feeling about it. 

After a while of watching Two-Bit and Steve play real awful hands of poker, he looked around the room, realizing something wasn’t right. He counted the boys, including himself. 

Six. 

Someone was missing. 

_Johnny._

No one else seemed to notice- or at the very least, seemed to be bothered by it, but for some reason, Soda felt like there was something wrong. The poor kid didn’t like to be home at the best of times, but he knew Johnny had been feeling under the weather recently. 

_God_ , he thought to himself. _I hope he’s not out in-_

His back straightened at the thought. _He wouldn’t, right? He’d come here first, right?_

Soda bit his lip, deciding whether he should go check the lot- just in case. He figured it was probably a good idea. 

He stood up from his seat and went to the hallway closet to grab Darry’s heavy coat and a pair of sneakers. Soda felt his older brother’s eyes on him as he stepped out from the kitchen, where he was busy making dinner for everyone.

“Where d’ya think you’re goin’, little buddy?” The oldest Curtis brother crossed his arms over his chest, the wooden spoon in his hand sticking straight up. 

“Gonna run down to the lot real quick. Wanna check up on somethin’.” Darry’s eyes flicked to the window. 

“It’s snowin’ like hell outside, Soda. You ain’t goin’ anywhere.” Soda got up close to him.

“Look, I-I’m worried ‘bout Johnny,” he said, quietly, so he didn’t worry about the other boys. “He wasn’t feelin’ great the other day and I wanna make sure he ain’t...outside.” Darry chewed on the inside of his mouth, eyes roving over his brother’s face. 

“Alright, fine,” he relented, finally. “Don’t be gone long. Don’t wanna have to send the cavalry out lookin’ for ya.” Soda huffed a small laugh and nodded, then slipped into the coat.

“I’m sure it’s nothin’,” he retorted. “But just in case…” He headed towards the front door, jumping over the arm Steve was leaning back on. 

“Hey,” his best friend called after him as he swung open the door. “Where you goin’?”

“Just lookin’ for somethin’. I’ll be right back.”

When he was outside, Soda wrapped the coat around him tightly and buttoned it up. Damn, it was cold. His breathed appeared in clouds of white mist in front of him and there was already a good inch on the ground. He skipped down the steps to the curb and almost slipped on the concrete. 

_Shit, maybe I should’a worn boots instead._

He slowly made his way through the snow-covered sidewalks and crossed the street that led to the abandoned lot he and his gang hung out in. 

They’d put old, busted up car seats out there, circling a large firepit. Soda knew that Johnny often slept out here- usually in better weather. Dally had also been known to sleep out in the lot, especially during the spring with a small campfire and a clear sky. 

Surely, Johnny wouldn’t have risked trying to sleep out here tonight, right?

When he got to the firepit, it looked like it had been trying to light. But it was the cough he heard that stopped him in his tracks. It sounded like it was coming from the chest- horrible and full of phlegm. 

“Johnny? Is that you?” Soda asked, loudly. 

“S-S-Soda?” the poor kid said between shivers. Quickly, Sodapop pulled off the coat and moved to wrap it around his friend. 

“Johnnycake, what in the blazes are you doin’ out here?”

“D-d-didn’t wanna go home,” he started. “Didn’t w-wanna get ya’ll sick, neither.”

“Uh-uh,” Soda argued. “You’re comin’ home with me. You can’t stay out here tonight.”

“B-but-”

“No buts. Johnny, ya know I ain’t smart, but I know that if you sleep out here tonight, you might not wake up again.”

His small friend was quiet. He reached down to pull the kid up, but Johnny’s hand was ice cold and he couldn’t grip Soda’s hand well. 

“I-I don’t think I can stand,” he admitted. 

“O-okay,” Soda said, rubbing his own arms for warmth. The snowflakes were starting to soak through his clothes. “Let’s...let’s get you on my back, huh? I’ll carry you.”

“C-carry me? What-” Johnny cut himself off and started coughing uncontrollably. The older boy put a hand on his forehead. Burning hot.

“C’mon, Johnnycake. We gotta get you inside.”

“Okay,” he agreed once he’d stopped coughing. “I g-guess you’re right.” Soda bent down with his back facing him and held his hands back. 

“Okay. Let’s go.” 

Johnny reached out and grabbed ahold of Soda’s shoulders. His hold wasn’t very strong, but it was good enough. The Curtis brother hoisted him up, easily, and started heading back to the house. The smaller boy wrapped his arms around his neck and held on as tight as he could. 

“Don’t lose that coat, kid, or Darry’ll kill me.”

God damn, it was cold.

And the snow was blowing right in his face. 

The trek only took a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity in this storm. Finally, they burst through the front door. The screen door slammed behind them and everyone went quiet.

Soda stood just inside with Johnny on his back, both dripping water all over the floor while all the boys stared at them, open-mouthed and wide-eyed.

“Can-can someone help me here?” he asked, his voice quivering as his whole body shook from the cold. “He’s real sick.”

Instantly, the entire place was in an uproar. Naturally, Dally was the first one up, peeling the poor kid off Soda’s back. Pony ran into the hallway and returned a minute later with a change of clothes and towels.

“Two-Bit,” Darry started. “Go to the bathroom and get the cough syrup from the medicine cabinet. Steve, get Soda’s old room ready.”

The two boys jumped up from their spots immediately and followed their orders. 

Fifteen minutes later, Soda sat on the edge of his bed, dried off and in warm clothes. Johnny laid in his bed, covered up to his chin. Darry had basically poured the thick syrup down the poor kid’s throat and demanded he go right to bed. He was still shivering, even in the spare clothes Pony had lent him and the thick quilt on top of him. 

“You’ll be okay now, Johnnycake.”

“Thank you, Soda.” His voice was barely audible, his consciousness fading. 

“You ain’t gotta thank me for anythin’. We’re all just happy you’re safe and outta the cold.”

“Still…” Soda reached out and patted the blanket.

“It’s okay, kid. Now go to sleep.”


End file.
